OSS Stinger
Office of Strategic Services · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1942
Also known as: Stinger cigarette gun
Overview
The OSS Stinger is a tiny single-shot, disposable concealed pistol chambered in .22 Short, developed by the U.S. Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Roughly the size of a cigarette, it was intended as a last-ditch escape-and-evasion or assassination tool for infiltration agents and resistance fighters, fired by a simple striker mechanism through a smoothbore barrel at point-blank range.
Specifications
| Action Type | Breech Loading |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 1 rounds |
| Effective Range | 3 m (3 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .22 Short · primary — also known as .22 Short
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Features: Single-Shot Disposable Design, Cigarette-Sized Concealable Body, Smoothbore Barrel, Covert Clandestine Sabotage Weapon
Service history
Conflicts
- World War II (1942-1945)
Production
Estimated total produced: 50,500 · Production years: 1942-1944
Approximately 25,000 first-pattern units early in the war plus about 25,500 improved 1944-pattern units.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1945
Notes
Documentation of operational field use is scarce, consistent with the secrecy surrounding OSS clandestine equipment.
Background
OSS agents nicknamed it the 'cigarette gun' - a throwaway .22 the size of a smoke, meant to be fired once at contact range and discarded, so ubiquitous in spec but so rarely documented in the field that surviving examples are prized collector rarities.